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Licensure/Certification requirements vary from state to state. Additionally, some states offer alternative or
provisional licensure. In general, it is best to complete a licensure program at one of the institutions in the
state where you intend to teach. This typically reduces the bureaucratic overhead involved in getting the state
teaching license you seek. Additionally, not all states offer clear reciprocity for licenses earned in other states,
so additional requirements may need to be addressed when an individual chooses to teach in a state other than the
one they were licensed in.
Something else to consider when choosing a licensure/certification program is that each higher education institution
has their own requirements designed to address the state requirements. In other words, licensure programs may differ
in length based on the school you wish to attend.
Some steps to get you going include:
1. Start talking to institutions which offer certification programs
- Ask the institution for the details of their program(s):
- Are the courses offered at times when you can attend?
- Cost per credit hour for tuition.
- Cost and type of fees.
- Average time needed to complete the program.
- Transcripts and records needed to apply to the program and application procedures.
- Is there a point-of-contact on the campus familiar with the TTT program?
- Financial aid available for potential teachers.
2. Get started! (There's no such thing as a free lunch - nobody is going to come to your house and hand you a teaching license/certificate.)
- Have your transcripts evaluated by the appropriate office at your institution of choice.
- If you have decided which program to attend, sign up!
- If you are a participant, contact us here and let us know what program you are attending, when it starts, ends, type of certification you will obtain, at what level (elementary, secondary, middle) etc. We will put this information into your file for potential employers to review.
- For those who applied and have stipend funding available, submit your initial stipend request to DANTES.
For those who are still in the military....
If you want to get started right away and you have sufficient time to take courses needed to fulfill some portion of the requirements for your program, and you are not in the same state as the institution which will be granting your final certification, you should:
- Work with your education center counselor to develop a course of action and a degree plan leading to a degree appropriate for the subject(s) you plan to teach (i.e. if you want to teach teach science or English do not earn a business management degree because you can complete it in the shortest amount of time).
- Identify your VA educational benefits. (VA and GI Bill benefits can be used to fund completion of a teacher certification program)
- Investigate the SOCED program at your education center.
- Carefully coordinate and document all course work. Insure that all of your acquired credit will transfer to the to the institution in the state you plan to move to. Before signing up and paying for courses (in your current state) have the degree or certification granting institution in the state you are moving to validate the transferability of credits toward your program. Have the institution provide you with written documentation, with the appropriate official's signature. Don't waste time and money on courses that will not help you to complete your final program!
Alternate Routes to Certification
As teacher shortages escalate, more and more states are designing alternate routes to licensure to encourage mid-career changers, post-career changers, non-education majors, etc. into the profession. The extent to which these programs deviate from "standard" routes and do such things as provide credit for experience depends on the extent of a states need for new teachers, beliefs regarding the education and training of teachers, and the interaction or "balance of power" between state education agencies, institutions of higher education, individual school districts and the professional organizations representing teachers and academic administrators. That being said, be aware not only of the variety to be found among alternate routes to licensure programs but also that the effectiveness and perceived effectiveness of those programs varies from state to state. Also be aware that, in general, licensure gained through an alternate routes tend to be less transferable from state to state.
State Certification Information
Teacher Certification in Louisiana
National - ProfessionalTeacher.com
Baton Rouge, Louisiana - 1.800.761.3012
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